Annotated Research: Cause of Poor Reading

Question: What is a noticeable characteristic of poor reading?

Answer: “…many problems evidenced by poor readers are related to their passive response to the interactive task of reading.” :PH Johnston and PN Winograd. 1985. P. 218.

Comment: What is active reading? It begins with the directed reading assignment and continues with the survey of textbook chapters. The directed reading assignment begins with the teacher’s building up background information on the topic, which is probably not familiar to most students. The teacher then pre-teaches unfamiliar vocabulary in the story or chapter. The students will notice the words if they have been taught before they read. The students then read the first paragraph, the first sentence of succeeding paragraphs and the last paragraph. The students discuss what they have learned about the topic from reading. The teacher sets a purpose for reading. Students read to accomplish the purpose. They then apply in some way what they have learned.

The textbook survey applies the directed reading assignment to the individual’s reading of textbook chapters. The students read the title and sub-titles of the chapter. They then read the first paragraph, the first sentence of each succeeding paragraph and the last paragraph. They summarize what they have learned and formulate questions to which they want the answer. They read to answer the questions. After they answers their questions, they apply what they have learned about the topic by using the Internet to read more deeply on the topic. That is a start to active reading. RayS.

Title: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English.” JD Marshall and RK Durst. Research in the Teaching of English (May 1986), 198-215.